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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The spasms in her back and legs begin at night.
Half asleep, her twisting, jerking limbs rock her awake. There is
little Jeanelle Bluhm can do -- legally -- to relax the grip of
multiple sclerosis.
So every night, Bluhm draws her curtains, props herself up in a chair
and fires up a pipeful of the only thing that gives her relief -- marijuana.
"I don't care what has been proven," she said. "I only know what works
for me."
Bluhm, a 46-year-old former nurse who gets around her house in a
motorized scooter, helped gather signatures for a ballot initiative
that would legalize marijuana in Oregon for medical uses.
Opponents say illnesses will only become a ruse to allow the
widespread smoking of pot. They point to California's two-year medical
marijuana experience, where cannabis buyers clubs have sprouted up and
local ordinances allow patients under marijuana therapy to keep up to
1 1/2 pounds of pot.
But backers say they have learned their lessons from California, and
have drawn Oregon's measure to tightly control the amounts of
prescribed pot and ensure that it only goes to those who truly need
it.
"It's absurd that doctors can't prescribe this centuries-old
medication when they can legally prescribe morphine or cocaine," said
Rick Bayer, a Portland physician and chief petitioner who worked to
qualify the initiative for the November ballot.
Under Oregon's proposal, marijuana would only be allowed to treat a
limited number of illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS
and glaucoma.
A letter of permission from a doctor would allow a patient to get an
identification card issued by the state Health Division. With the
card, a patient would have the right to carry up to an ounce of
marijuana and grow as many as three marijuana plants to maturity.
If the initiative is passed, Bayer estimates that about 500 people
would apply for an ID card in the first year.
A group called Oregonians Against Dangerous Drugs is putting up a
fight, arguing that the state is not equipped to deal with the
bureaucracy the law would create.
"It will make the policing of these marijuana laws extremely
difficult," said the head of the group, Multnomah County Sheriff Dan
Noelle. He warns voters to be wary of any initiative that is part of a
national effort by "people who have spent a lot of money trying to
legalize marijuana."
The measure is unusual in that it is being financed from entirely
outside the state. It is sponsored by the California-based Americans
for Medical Rights, which has the backing of billionaire
philanthropist George Soros of New York, insurance mogul Peter Lewis
of Cleveland, and John Sperling, founder and president of the
University of Phoenix.
The three men worked to persuade Californians to approve marijuana for
medical purposes two years ago. Arizona voters also approved a similar
measure in 1996, but it was blocked by the state's
legislature.
Oregon, Alaska, Colorado and Washington state are all considering
medical marijuana laws this year.
Dave Fratello, spokesman for Americans for Medical Rights, said
California's measure was written "more as a statement of principle
than a law," that included nothing about how marijuana would be
supplied. "We decided to write the laws more carefully in Oregon."
For Bluhm, who smokes marijuana twice a day -- once in the morning and
once at night -- the law would allow her to grow her own weed and give
her the peace of mind that it is pure and safe.
"The most frustrating thing I have had to deal with is the
bureaucracy," Bluhm said. "Why can't they be a little easier on the
disabled?"
Craig Helm, who also suffers from multiple sclerosis, was convicted of
two counts of felony possession and manufacture of marijuana in May,
after police raided his home and found eight marijuana plants.
Marijuana, he said, is the best way to calm the violent and painful
muscle spasms in his legs.
"I can't take another pill to make it stop -- that's when I smoke
marijuana," Helm said from his wheelchair.
Helm is on probation, but although he is under minimal supervision, he
still smokes marijuana.
"There are so many serious things going on," he said. "Are cops proud
of busting people like me?"
Copyright 1997 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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